Taking over the Hidden Leaf might be one of Jie Uchiha's goals, but becoming Hokage himself? Absolutely not.
Sitting in an office all day stamping paperwork wasn't the life he wanted. Besides, on paper, he was only ten years old. Letting a ten-year-old run the entire village... only a madman like Hashirama Senju could pitch something so insane.
Jie couldn't hold back an eye roll. Looking straight at the legendary ninja, he stated clearly, "Lord First, I really don't want to be the Fifth Hokage."
His words went completely ignored.
Hashirama clapped a heavy hand on Jie's shoulder, flashing a blindingly bright smile. "Good boy! I knew you were a fine Uchiha youth who loved the village, just like Madara! From now on, I'm leaving the Hidden Leaf in your hands!"
'?'
Jie stared at him, completely bewildered. Did he stutter? Did Hashirama need his ears checked? How did "I don't want to be Hokage" translate to "I'm a good youth who loves the village"?
And just like Madara? What, was he supposed to learn how to defect, declare war, and get played like a fiddle by Black Zetsu?
Seeing Jie's dumbfounded expression, Hashirama's smile only grew wider.
Of course, he was doing this on purpose.
A man who led the Senju clan through a bloody era and founded the Hidden Leaf was no naive idiot. Beneath that goofy exterior, Hashirama could clearly see the young man's unparalleled potential.
In terms of pure strength, Jie could already rival him in his prime. Without using Sage Mode, Hashirama honestly wasn't sure if his Wood Style could even overcome this kid's Sharingan.
Most importantly, Jie was young. A fiercely powerful, youthful Hokage would deter the rest of the ninja world for decades, buying the Hidden Leaf the time it desperately needed to recover.
Hashirama always prided himself on being a good judge of character. When he first met Madara as a child, he knew they could bring peace to the world together. And sure enough, by their hands, the Warring States Period had finally come to an end.
Now, Hashirama felt the exact same way about Jie. He believed this kid could usher in a brand-new era for the Hidden Leaf, and he was confident his judgment wasn't wrong.
With that decided, Hashirama turned to his brother. "Let's go, Tobirama. It's time to clean house."
"Right, Elder Brother." Tobirama nodded.
Both Hokage turned, their eyes locking simultaneously onto Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was still glaring viciously at Jie.
The crushing weight of their stares snapped Hiruzen back to reality. Remembering the confession he'd just spewed, he wanted to smash his own head against a wall. How could he have blurted out the ugly truth so easily?
"No, Tobirama-sensei, you can't do this to me!" he stammered, frantically trying to defend himself. "Everything I did was to carry on your will! It was all for the village!"
"If you make a mistake, admit it. When you face punishment, stand tall," Tobirama said coldly. "Hiruzen, those are the last words I will ever speak to you as your teacher. Now, as the former Hokage, I am going to purge you from this village."
Powerful chakra flared from Hashirama and Tobirama, making Hiruzen tremble involuntarily. But he wasn't shaking because the pressure was too overwhelming—he was shaking because it felt surprisingly weak.
'That's right!' Hiruzen realized. 'Tobirama-sensei and Lord Hashirama are just Reanimations right now. They definitely can't use their full strength from when they were alive! I still have a chance!'
That spark of hope ignited a raging fire within him, filling his chest with a wild surge of joy. As he looked back at his predecessors, the fear in his eyes rapidly faded.
Hiruzen let out a heavy sigh, his expression hardening. "Since Tobirama-sensei and Lord Hashirama cannot understand my painstaking efforts, then don't blame me for this."
"Earth Style: Earth Flow River!"
Striking first to seize the upper hand, Hiruzen's hands blurred through signs. A massive river of rushing mud and debris immediately swept toward them.
"To actually strike your own teacher first... you really are no longer the Hiruzen I knew." Tobirama didn't make the slightest attempt to dodge. He simply stood his ground, shaking his head with a sigh.
"Orochimaru, was it?" Hashirama called out casually, ignoring the incoming attack. "Release your control over the Reanimation Jutsu. Such shallow manipulation can't bind Tobirama and me anyway."
Although this reanimated body restricted his true strength—leaving him with perhaps less than one percent of his prime power—breaking free from such a rudimentary Reanimation Jutsu would still be a breeze. Even so, Hashirama decided to ask politely first.
Hearing Hashirama's casual tone, cold sweat instantly beaded on Orochimaru's forehead. He knew the God of Shinobi was absolutely right. With his current mastery of the Reanimation Jutsu, he couldn't hope to restrain the First Hokage, and even holding back the Second was pushing his absolute limits.
But if he released the bindings, would the two Hokage immediately turn their weapons on him to help Hiruzen? For a moment, Orochimaru hesitated.
Just as the Snake Sannin was debating whether to comply, Jie spoke up, his tone nonchalant. "Release the control over the jutsu. I trust that the First and Second Hokage have the character to not go back on their word."
Hearing Jie's assurance, Orochimaru nodded and immediately dropped his control over all four reanimated bodies.
Danzo, who had been acting as a mindless truth-spilling puppet this entire time, finally regained his consciousness.
"Tobirama-sensei? Lord Hashirama?" Danzo muttered, blinking in a daze. "It seems the underworld really does exist."
Because Orochimaru had completely suppressed his mind earlier, Danzo had no memory of what had just happened. Seeing his former mentors, he naturally assumed he was dead and had arrived in the afterlife. Yet, for some reason, something felt off. Why did this 'underworld' look so familiar?
His vision focused, taking in the environment, and his heart instantly sank.
"The Reanimation Jutsu..."
"Danzo, get over here and help me!" Hiruzen shouted the moment he saw him wake up. "The First and Second Hokage are being controlled by Orochimaru! They've betrayed the village!"
Right now, Hiruzen couldn't care less that it was Danzo who had just exposed his crimes. He just needed someone—anyone—to stall Hashirama and Tobirama so he could survive.
"Hashirama and Tobirama betrayed the village?" Jie mocked, shaking his head with a laugh. "Of course only that old fool would come up with an excuse like that." He leaned back, comfortably waiting to watch the two Hokage clean house.
"Lord Hashirama, Lord Tobirama... could you let me strike first?" Minato Namikaze suddenly requested. After all, someone had to pay for the years of suffering Naruto had endured.
Tobirama fell silent for a moment before shaking his head with a sigh. "Fourth Hokage, just break one of the monkey's arms. Although what he did was completely out of line, taking an arm is enough of an apology."
"Thank you, Lord Tobirama!" Minato replied, his expression filled with genuine gratitude.
Hiruzen was completely dumbfounded.
???
'Am I just meat on a chopping block for them to carve up however they please?!'
Upto 40 chapters ahead on patreon :-
patreon.com/Vristikk